FOI 369053

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 369053

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 29^th October 2024. Please find below the response to your request:

For each of the last four calendar years (2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024) could you please provide me with:

1. the number of individual arrests under sections 136 and 137 of the Mental Health Act;
2. the number of individual arrests of children, being under 18-years-old, under sections 136 and 137 of the Mental Health Act;
3. the number of individual instances when a police offer was physically harmed by someone whilst making an arrest or looking after someone under sections 136 and 137 of the Mental Health Act;
4. the number of individual instances of someone self-harming whilst in your custody; and
5. the number of individual instances of someone ending their life whilst in your custody.

Reply

Your request for information has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), and I am not obliged to provide the information requested.

S.12(1) of the Act states that a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the “appropriate limit”. For police forces in England and Wales, the "appropriate limit" is £450 or 18 hours of work as set by the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.

The information you have requested is not available in a readily retrievable format. There are over 33658 custody detention log entries which contain the words self harm. In order to ascertain whether the information you have requested is held would take in excess of 18 hours as each record would have to be checked individually.

In accordance with s.17(5) of the Act, this acts as a Refusal Notice.

However, In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can provide the information requested for questions 1, 2, 3, 5 as this was retrieved during our initial research. This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests

1.the number of individual arrests under sections 136 and 137 of the Mental Health Act;

2.the number of individual arrests of children, being under 18-years-old, under sections 136 and 137 of the Mental Health Act;

3.the number of individual instances when a police offer was physically harmed by someone whilst making an arrest or looking after someone under sections 136 and 137 of the Mental Health Act;

5.the number of individual instances of someone ending their life whilst in your custody.

There have been no deaths in custody